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Thesis: Open Source GIS and Mobile Devices for Water Demand Management Information Systems
Wednesday, 30 November 2005

Author: M. Loudon
Date: 2005
Publication Type: Undergraduate thesis (Bsc Geomatics)

Driven by water scarcity, the need for service delivery and the large economic and environmental cost of supply-side sources such as dams, South Africa's water policy focuses on manipulating demand to match the available supply. Water Demand Management projects require constant monitoring and analysis of large amounts of data from a variety of sources, and the use of a Management Information System (MIS) can improve the efficiency of project planning and implementation. However, the cost of a proprietary system is prohibitive for smaller providers, many of which are struggling to deliver services to areas marginalised by the Apartheid government. In addition, systems are needed that allow communities to monitor and manage their water use, in situations where hardware and technical skills are limited.

Open Source software offers a solution. The code can be modified by anyone, allowing customization, interoperability and integration. The software is free, incurring only service costs. Adaptations for local conditions, such as translations into local languages and simplified graphical displays for semi-literate users, can be incorporated into to the system.

To investigate the technical feasibility of an Open Source MIS for Water Demand Management, two modules interacting with a central spatial database were developed. The data collection module uses mobile devices for collection of water consumption data, and transmits the data over the cellular network before validating and automatically inserting it into the database. The Meter Reading Manager module has a navigable map display, allowing users to perform spatial and non-spatial queries on the database, and produce informative maps and consumption graphs.

Although the development process identified both strengths and weaknesses in the Open Source components comprising the prototype system, all the derived specifications could be met. The research argues for further development of an Open Source MIS for Water Demand Management, which may offer cost-effectiveness and usability lacking in proprietary systems.

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